Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews had one of his best seasons in 2024 but ended it in the worst way. With a lost fumble and a dropped game-tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, he unquestionably played a big role in the Ravens coming up short against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.
The Ravens, of course, have rallied around their stalwart tight end, as they should. While he ended the season with some plays worth forgetting, he has meant so much to Baltimore. Since coming into the league in 2018, he has been among the elite at his position. And HC John Harbaugh won’t let anyone forget that.
“There’s nobody that has more heart and cares more or fights more than Mark. We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews”, Harbaugh said, via the Ravens’ website. “It’s like anything else – destiny is a decision that you make. The decision is how you handle what comes in your life. Mark will handle it fantastic like he always does because he’s a high-character person, he’s a tough person, and he’s a good person. I’m proud of him just like I’m proud of all the guys”.
During the regular season, Andrews caught 55 passes for 673 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns. He got off to a slow start, even failing to catch a pass in two (abbreviated appearance) games for the Ravens. In fact, he didn’t catch his first touchdown pass of the season until Week 16. But once he started catching touchdown passes, he only went two more games without one.
Andrews only caught two passes for 27 yards against the Steelers in the Ravens’ Wild Card win. Against the Bills, however, he caught five passes for 61 yards. Of course, he failed to secure his most important catch on the game-tying conversion. And he fumbled the ball after one of those five catches.
The Bills were leading by five when they forced a fumble off a Mark Andrews reception. They ended up netting a field goal, which forced the Ravens to attempt a two-point conversion to tie. After they scored, Andrews was unable to hold onto the crucial two-point play. Lamar Jackson’s throw was not perfect, but he is expected to make that catch.
It will be a long offseason for Mark Andrews and the Ravens, no doubt. They certainly were good enough to beat the Bills, abusing themselves with three avoidable turnovers. By rights, they should be having a rematch in the conference finals against the Chiefs.
But because of various mistakes—far more than just Andrews’ miscues—they have a lot to chew on. The Ravens have championship-caliber talent on their roster, but they got in their own way. It seemed late in the season they managed to get over such issues that had plagued them earlier, but they reared their ugly head in the end.
